iDon’t care: Verizon Droid looks cool, but ads miss point

Verizon has lifted the curtain on its flagship Android offering, the Motorola …

If you have been watching TV recently (yes, the type with commercials), you may have seen a new ad from Verizon. That ad mimics Apple's advertising style, all the while mocking the shortfalls of the iPhone—"iDon't allow open development," "iDon't have interchangeable batteries," etc. That's before busting through with its dark, hard-edged, "you really should own this if you are a totally badass l337 h4x0r" Droid phone that can do all of those things and more.

It certainly looks like Verizon has officially gone on the offense with its new Android device. The Droid, made by Motorola, has some pretty beefy hardware, allegedly with the TI OMAP3430 that's in the Palm Pre. (The Droid also has a 5MP camera, 3.7" touchscreen, slide-out keyboard, microSD slot, and an apparently user replaceable battery.) This would make it the first truly fast Android phone being mass marketed to users and on a huge nationwide network. On top of it all, the Droid will be running the much-anticipated Android 2.0.

Certainly, this device has some meat to it and is meant to be a flagship product—Android fans will be salivating at the idea of getting this phone on Verizon. However, while Verizon's anti-Apple marketing push may be getting attention from the tech community, we think it runs the risk of falling largely on deaf ears. "The things that speak most to me is taking pics in the dark and the 5MP camera [in the Droid]," one self-described "non-tech" BlackBerry user told Ars. "But the tech shit like open development, I don't care about. I wouldn't buy this phone over another because it does run simultaneous apps or because of open development."

Verizon's commercial makes points that may not matter all that much to the large majority of people who own—or want to own—an iPhone. In fact, this applies to most smartphone customers in general. The Droid may offer some compelling features to those who already like Android or customers who are on the fence, but BlackBerry owners, iPhone owners, and even Pre owners are largely who they are because of what their OSes already offer them. Android is certainly able to compete on its own merits, but the Droid as an iPhone killer? iDon't know.